31 Mar 12 Hard Things You Can Do TODAY
Because I mostly write and talk about happiness, some people think it’s all about having fun and laughing and playing and …
… well, those things are important. In fact, they’re really great!
But my real interest isn’t just in happiness; positive emotions like happiness are good for us but the real goal should be living our best lives, thriving and flourishing.
And for that to happen, we need, in addition to enjoying life, to engage in life and to engage in activities that might not always be fun, but will be fulfilling.
At times, that means doing some hard things which is why I’m sharing this Huckberry article by Michael Easter …
In January, we made the case for doing hard shit. The response was epic. There seems to be a growing recognition that a little hardship can be an ideal antidote to the malaise that some of us feel when everything is seemingly available at the touch of a button but nothing ever actually feels satisfying.
In that column, I wrote about spending a month in the Arctic, which I cover in my book, The Comfort Crisis. Epic adventures are, well, epic, but if you want to get into better shape, you don’t start by running an Ironman. Same with hard shit — if you’re looking to get more uncomfortable, it helps to start small.
You don’t have to take a Shackleton-like voyage to experience the benefits of a little hardship. Not even close. There’s a hell of a case to be made for trying these 12 hard(ish) things today. And to make it even easier, we set up a simple schedule so that you have one less excuse.
7:00am: Turn Down The Heat
Jump out of bed and turn down the thermostat from “cozy” to “less cozy.” Make it 64 degrees. One study found that specific temperature hits a sweet spot for health. It causes your body to burn fat to keep warm, but it’s also not so cold that you can’t focus on anything else. Bonus: You’ll save on your heating bill.
8:00am: Have One Real Conversation
Skip the breakfast ritual of checking how people watched your IG story yesterday, and have a real conversation with your significant other instead. I’ll take running 50 miles over discussing my feelings any day, but I’d probably be a little saner and more comfortable in my own skin if I occasionally did the latter. So sit down with our significant other and tell them you love them and why. If you’re struggling, start with The 36 Questions That Lead to Love.
… keep reading the full & original article HERE